OCCUPATIONAL LEVEL ACHIEVEMENT MOTIVATION AND SOCIAL MOBILITY - A LONGITUDINAL ANALYSIS

THE SVIB OCCUPATIONAL LEVEL (OL) SCALE WAS DESIGNED TO MEASURE THE EXTENT TO WHICH AN INDIVIDUAL'S VOCATIONAL INTERESTS CORRESPOND TO THE INTERESTS OF PROFESSIONALS AND BUSINESSMEN. HOWEVER, OL SCORES HAVE ALSO BEEN INTERPRETED AS AN INDICATION OF ASPIRATION LEVEL AND DRIVE. THE DYNAMIC INTERPRETATION OF OCCUPATIONAL LEVEL WAS TESTED BY DATA ON 63 MEN IN THE OAKLAND GROWTH STUDY. INTEREST LEVEL WAS FOUND TO BE SIGNIFICANTLY CORRELATED WITH DRIVE FOR ACHIEVEMENT, IQ, AND ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE IN ADOLESCENCE, AND WITH MEASURES OF ACHIEVEMENT BEHAVIOR IN ADULTHOOD. HOWEVER, ALL OF THESE RELATIONSHIPS WERE CONSIDERABLY STRONGER AMONG MALES FROM WORKING CLASS THAN FROM MIDDLE CLASS FAMILIES. THE IMPLICATIONS OF THESE RESULTS FOR INTERPRETATIONS OF OCCUPATIONAL LEVEL AS AN INDEX OF OCCUPATIONAL ASPIRATION ARE DISCUSSED. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2006 APA, all rights reserved). © 1968 American Psychological Association.